The cofounder of xAI is leaving the company. He says he's learned 2 main things from Elon Musk.

Igor Babuschkin, a pivotal co-founder of xAI, has announced his departure from the artificial intelligence startup he helped establish with Elon Musk in 2023. In a heartfelt message shared on X, Babuschkin revealed his plans to start Babuschkin Ventures, which will concentrate on AI safety research and supporting startups focused on developing advanced AI systems aimed at benefiting humanity and exploring the universe's secrets. Reflecting on his journey from a CERN particle physics Ph.D. student to co-founding xAI, Babuschkin expressed gratitude for the invaluable lessons he learned from Musk. He highlighted two key insights: the importance of fearlessly engaging with technical challenges and maintaining a relentless sense of urgency. The initial phase of building xAI was fraught with skepticism, as critics suggested they had entered the AI field too late to make an impact. However, Babuschkin noted that the team defied expectations by constructing the Memphis supercomputer cluster in just 122 days, a feat deemed impossible by industry experts. He recalled a particular late-night incident when unexpected issues arose during the training setup; Musk personally flew to the data center and collaborated with the team until the problem was resolved. The culmination of their efforts was celebrated when Musk shared their success on social media at 4:20 AM, a moment that Babuschkin described as filled with both humor and the camaraderie that defined their late-night work sessions. He reminisced about the adrenaline rush of that night and the deep connections formed among the team, stating, "We went to bed feeling like we were living through the most exhilarating time of our lives." In a show of appreciation, Musk acknowledged Babuschkin’s contributions in a subsequent post, stating, "We wouldn't be here without you." Before his tenure at xAI, Babuschkin held positions at renowned organizations such as DeepMind and OpenAI and is an alumnus of the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany. xAI, Babuschkin, and Musk have yet to respond to inquiries from Business Insider regarding this transition.